How Hot is a Fire? Serious Burns Beyond Any Video Game

As gamers, we tend to take wild flaming effects for granted. But real fires range far beyond what game developers simulate for the sake of playability. Depending on the fuel source and burning conditions, fires can scorch anywhere from about 1,100°C (2,000°F) up to over 5,000°C (9,000°F)! That‘s hot enough to turn health bars to ash in an instant.

Let‘s geek out on how this hidden science stat works and why we can‘t simply respawn if things go wrong IRL…

Fueling the Flames: Wood vs Coal vs Gasoline

We all know to throw basic stuff like wood or coal into campfires during open world survival games. But the base material dramatically impacts the heat produced! Check out these temps for common fuels:

• Wood – Up to 1,100°C
• Coal – Over 1,400°C
• Gasoline – Ignites around 300°C but can rocket to 1,950°C blasts

That‘s a huge difference! It explains why a pile of wood blocks burns out faster than dense coal that smolders for hours. Different chemicals release more or less energy when reacting with oxygen. Who knew our pyramid bonfire builds had secret chemistry!

Speaking of secret game science, title screens with roaring fires use real-world physics…

Oxygen Makes Flames Go High-Octane

Remember desperately blowing onto measly Minecraft torches or leaning into Switch fireplaces mashing the A button for warmth? We instinctively know more air makes fires bigger.

And science backs that up – more oxygen concentration allows for hotter chemical reactions. That‘s why firefighter hoses blast water for smothering rather than fanning. humility of blast furnaces shown on FPS entry cutscenes. Even hyperbolic bonfires a mere 600°C internally can have outer zones exceeding 1100°C with enough wind!

Now let‘s see how…

Moisture Extinguishes Flames Fast

Ever had a campfire fizzle out from wet moonwood in Zelda or dripping cave lichens in Far Cry? Water is the bane of crisp fire gameplay. Even green wood blocks losing moisture burn 200°C less than seasoned counterparts.

Damp conditions are no joke – firefighters get potentially life-threatening steam burns from wet areas below 100°C! That matches clumsy Fallout cooking incidents…So don‘t mimic chucking water buckets at close-range.

But H2O isn‘t the final boss of our fire guide‘s first dungeon..theoretically, there are the suspects so dangerous they‘ve only existed for fleeting moments beyond the event horizon.

Fires Labs and Space Thrusters Rivaling The Sun

At its blazing surface, our Sun simmers at 5,500°C . Sounds ultra-extreme already…yet the hottest flames created on Earth CLASH in epic.

Fueling oxygen fires with tailored shrapnel from WWII explosives and rocket fuel, among generated a beast West of 5000°C!

That takes more heat shields than landing jets on Eve…And likely only military contractors might bush into 2000°C+ fires every day in jet turbines and on reentry test ships without heavy-caliber cooling systems

Here‘s a fiery _thinker dst-extinguishing our cores with some chillier numbers

My Best Friend Was Bad at Fire Safety

I‘ll never forget when my neighbor‘s kid tried using gasoline instead of lighter fluid at a party bonfire. I warned it was overpowered overkill, but peer pressure won out.

One stray ember later…WHOOSH!!! We had to hit the dirt as 50-foot flames erupted skyward almost scorching low branches despite being midsummer. No health bar could have avoided instant K.O!

And gasoline can burn much hotter in open-air flames up to 1,950°C compared to car engines around 250°C .

My buddies and I knew better for our gaming gatherings after some emergency fire training. I still cringe at others watchingLet It Die live-streamers who don‘t respect chemistry and physics making uncontrolled blaze buildings.

Stay safe gamers, we only get one shot at these health points called life! Now let‘s get back to safely roasting pixels and marshmallows…

Common Fuel Fire Temps